Seminole Ridge Robotics Team Wins “Clash in Clermont”
Seminole Ridge SECME students won first place at the “Clash in Clermont” on Saturday, February 18, 2012. The Hawks took home the trophy from VEX Robotic Competition Gateway tournament, and qualified for a spot at the VEX Robotics High School World Championship in April!
VRC Team 1614 consisted of robot driver Bert Sivongsay, field scout Jesse Mendheim, and programmers Brendon Gearty, brothers John and Joe Swierzko, and coach Ed Batchelor. To prepare for the competition, the group has designed, built, and programmed a robot that could quickly and efficiently solve the specific obstacles and challenges in playing VEX Gateway.
Assistant Principal John Hay looks on as Seminole SECME students Joe Swierzko, John Swierzko , Bert Sivongsay, and Jesse Mendheim of VEX robotics team 1614 program their robot for autonomous operations.
Our students competed with and against 30 teams from across the state—Melbourne to Miami, Loxahatchee to Leesburg. At the end of qualifying rounds, we ranked sixth with four wins and two losses. Advancing into alliance selection for the playoffs, the Hawks put together the winning trio of teams made of team 880A Wolverine Robotics from Belen Jesuit Preparatory School in Miami, team 1365A ERM Robotics from East Ridge Middle School and team 1614 Seminole SECME from Seminole Ridge High School in Loxahatchee. Our alliance won the best two out of three against the previously undefeated Carver Crazies and the Red Raider Robotics from Carver Middle School.
Our SECME VRC team must now raise funds to cover the cost of robot parts, competition entry fees, and transportation expenses. Support them this spring — make a matching gift at http://seminolesecme.blogspot.com
The 2012 VEX Robotics World Championship is a gathering of greatest robotics teams from around the world to celebrate their accomplishments and compete with/against the best of the best. Held in Anaheim, California on April 19-21, 2012, it will include top-ranked teams from over 230 VEX Robotics Competition Gateway tournaments happening in cities around the world from May 2011 to March 2012.
The goal of VEX Gateway is to attain a higher score than the opponent by scoring ‘barrels’ and ‘balls in goals. Two alliances—‘red’ and ‘blue’—are composed of randomly paired teams to compete during a twenty-second autonomous period followed by two minutes of driver-controlled play. The allies work both independently in the isolation zones behind the Gateway and together in the interaction zone.
Giving SECME students the opportunity to work with the VEX robotics systems promotes education in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and teaches critical life skills such as teamwork, project management and problem-solving.
Each week, Seminole SECME students apply what they’ve learned about science, technology, engineering, and math in order to build the semiautonomous VEX machines. And through the competition students learn an equally important skill set: communication, project management, site management, and composure, working together on a variety of challenges and obstacles requiring problem-solving skills.
